


The "War"

by Fire_Bear



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: ? - Freeform, Angst, Dates But Not Dates, High School, Love Confessions, M/M, Rival Relationship, Rivalry, Romance, Sabotage, Unrequited Crush, kind of anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-15 15:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5789953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur, Alfred and Kiku are all best friends. But that may change when Arthur and Kiku figure out their feelings for Alfred are a little more than friendly...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Observation

**Author's Note:**

> This is a response to the request made by an Anon on Tumblr way back in October while I was busy with other stuff. And so I'm finally getting around to it.
> 
> I'm not sure this first chapter is all that good: I changed my mind about something halfway through writing it but editing in the extra details was a pain. Sorry. 
> 
> But it'll definitely get better!

It started with an observation.

* * *

When Arthur arrived at school that morning, he wasn't at all surprised to hear Alfred's shouts from behind him. Sighing, he paused and waited for him to catch up.

"Hey, Artie!" Alfred cried as he skidded to a stop beside him. "What're ya doing here so early?"

"You know fine well why," Arthur retorted, rolling his eyes. He took in his best friend's state of disarray: chequered trousers turned up at the bottom; shoes dirty and trailing mud; white shirt rumpled and done up wrong; blue blazer hanging off one arm; tie wrapped around his neck like a scarf. On closer inspection, Alfred appeared to have bags under his bloodshot eyes and his hair was such a mess his usual cowlick was lost. Arthur dismissed the fluttering in his stomach; the milk he used that morning may have been off. "I think the question here," he said, "is what the hell happened to you? Honestly, you look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards. And that's being generous."

"Haha, funny story..." said Alfred, grimacing and turning red.

"I have a little time."

"Well... Keeks was playing Five Nights at Freddy's last night and he sounded like he was having fun so I..."

"Oh, Lord," Arthur sighed. He closed his eyes and asked for strength. "So you've had no sleep? But... Why are _you_ here so early?"

"Ah, I finally fell asleep, like, two hours ago? I woke up at half seven and read my clock wrong. Totally thought I was gonna be late."

"You, Alfie, are a right mess." Arthur shook his head. "Come on – we'll get you straightened up and you can doze in the editor's room."

He led the way to the administration corridor where the reception and the student council met. Beside those rooms was a smaller one within which a large conference table had been crammed. An awkwardly situated door led to the desks of the editor of the school paper and his second-in-command: a facsimile of an office. The printer and scanner were also there and Arthur would have headed straight to them were it not for his companion. Instead he dropped his bag onto a chair at the conference table and turned to Alfred who was yawning widely.

"Sorry," he said when he finished, his eyes watering. Alfred rubbed at them as he tried to stifle another yawn. "I don't know how I'm gonna survive the day."

"You probably won't," Arthur replied, crouching down to sort out his trousers. Once that was done, he unbuttoned the shirt, straightened it and began to button it up again; he stopped breathing for a second and he didn't know why. The distraction of the fiddly buttons meant that he instantly pushed it to the back of his mind.

"Thanks," Alfred murmured, smiling slightly. "It's nice to know I have ya looking out for me."

Arthur blinked up at him as he unconsciously continued his work, pulling the blazer onto Alfred correctly. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?" For some reason, Arthur felt a little nervous, rather surprised that Alfred was being nice about Arthur's fussing for once.

"Y'know..." Alfred trailed off, blinking rapidly as he obviously tried to keep himself awake. Arthur hurriedly sorted out his tie lest he choke the taller teenager when he fell over from exhaustion.

"I don't know," he answered, flicking the tie over his hand in a smooth arc.

Alfred grunted. He stared at Arthur as the editor pulled the knot tight and smoothed it down against his shirt, something stirring within Arthur at the action. "Artie," Alfred said while Arthur buttoned up his blazer. "Y'know... What... Um, what're ya-?"

They were interrupted by the door opening and Arthur's assistant and other best friend walked in. Kiku looked between the two of them, frowned a little and then seemed to shake himself from whatever was upsetting him, smiling at them as he carefully set down his folder. Arthur knew from experience it contained all the perfect photos and was once again relieved that he had such a good photographer as his right hand man.

"Good morning, Kiku," Arthur said, smiling at him.

"Good morning, Arthur," Kiku replied, glancing between him and Alfred who looked awfully upset. Arthur figured he was just tired.

"Morning," Alfred mumbled, rubbing at the back of his neck. He was attacked by another fit of yawns though, this time, he covered his mouth with his hand. "Sorry," he said to Kiku. "God, I needta put my head down for a few minutes.

"You can use the office," Arthur told him. "We'll do our work here and come to get you when the bell rings."

"Right. Thanks. Again." Alfred flashed Arthur a smile before retreating.

Arthur turned to Kiku. "I hear you kept him up with a horror game."

"Ah. Yes," Kiku replied, grimacing and rubbing at his nose, a sure sign he was embarrassed. "I would not have told him about it had he not insisted."

"Hey, it doesn't matter to me," said Arthur, raising his hands in surrender. "I just thought I should explain the zombie appearance."

Kiku chuckled. "It _does_ make a little more sense now, thank you."

"Anyway, shall we get to work?"

They settled down, side by side, to look over the photos Kiku had printed out. He also had more on his tablet: the ones in the folder were the ones he felt best showcased the music competition from the week before. Arthur had already written his piece and had a picture-less copy of the newspaper printed. He set it on the table and they began to discuss the pros and cons of each picture.

Time ticked away as the quiet school began to get rowdier. Finally, with ten minutes to spare, Arthur and Kiku had decided on the best pictures to put into the paper. Later, they would connect Kiku's tablet to the computer and Kiku would work his magic to get them arranged just so. Arthur slumped in his chair with a sigh.

"I thought we'd never decide," he breathed, stretching his neck and rolling his shoulders with a wince.

"Indeed. Would you like to see the other pictures?" Kiku suggested, pulling his tablet from his bag. "I'm afraid a lot of them have Alfred in them – he would not keep out of the way."

Snorting, Arthur rolled his eyes. "Of course he couldn't. The git pokes his nose into everything to do with the paper. Let's see them, then."

Obediently, Kiku tapped at the screen till he had found what he was looking for. He presented it to Arthur and they leaned in, staring down at a picture of the school band, each member grinning. Alfred was in the bottommost corner, arms in the air as if he had been waving wildly. Arthur imagined the chastising Kiku had given him while Arthur was interviewing the music teacher: it never had the desired affect.

Flicking to the next one showed Alfred in all his glory, grinning out at them. His eyes were agleam, no lack of sleep evident. The light within the room caught his hair till it glowed, that damned cowlick sticking up like a beacon. What caught Arthur's attention the most, though, was the happy grin, perfectly captured so it was as though they were gazing at the real thing. It was truly the epitome of picture perfect. He let out a sigh – and blinked in surprise. That had been in stereo.

Glancing across at Kiku, he saw his friend frowning at him. "Arthur? Did you-?"

"Did _you_?" Arthur's heart was beating far too fast and he knew his cheeks were red.

They didn't speak for a full minute. Kiku moved suddenly, startling Arthur as the former changed the picture. "Let us-" He broke off and stared, wide-eyed, at the next picture.

Looking down, Arthur saw that the next picture was of Alfred in the middle of taking off his hoodie. He had grabbed the bottom of the garment and was in the middle of pulling it up, his eyes twinkling at the camera. Unfortunately, his t-shirt had been caught as well and he was almost topless. The muscles gained from playing American Football were glaringly obvious and Arthur took in a sharp breath, forgetting he had company.

"He's..."

"... beautiful?" Kiku finished for him.

A stare down ensued. Arthur broke first. "Oh, my God. I... You..." Everything from the start of school made sense now: the fluttery feelings, the blushes, the breathlessness. He wasn't sure how he hadn't seen it before: he wasn't sure how he had missed Kiku's attraction to Alfred, either. Then again, he was usually distracted by Alfred's antics. With his homework and the newspaper club and his 'coven', he hadn't let himself think about it too much. These pictures, however, made it perfectly clear how much Arthur liked his best friend.

He forced himself to take a breath before he passed out.

"Yes," said Kiku, startling Arthur from his internal panic. Kiku swallowed as he stared at the table.

"What do we do?" Arthur asked, trying not to panic.

"We should act as normal," Kiku replied, flustered. His cheeks had turned red and he was rubbing his nose. When Arthur looked closer, he could see his friend was breathing a little heavily. Obviously he was just as shocked at the revelation as Arthur had been.

"So we shouldn't... pursue him?" Arthur asked, hesitantly. He was perfectly fine with that, seeing as he had only just come to terms with his feelings. It would take quite some time before he would be able to bring himself to openly declare this to the boy in question.

Besides, Kiku was his friend just as much as Alfred was – Arthur didn't want to hurt him.

"No," Kiku confirmed. "It would ruin our friendship. Perhaps it is best to keep to an equilibrium. We are both far too busy to have a relationship, anyway."

"All right," agreed Arthur. He held out his hand and Kiku shook it in lieu of a promise. "That's probably for the best. It's only a- Never mind. Er." Arthur faltered and glanced at the door of the office. "One of us needs to wake Alfred now..."

* * *

Arthur was thankful that Alfred was still extremely tired when he emerged from the office and walked with him to their history class; it meant that his embarrassed spluttering at his half-hearted teasing went unnoticed. Or, at least, he hoped so.

They managed to make it through the day without Alfred asking questions and then another and the weekend and Arthur relaxed. As long as Arthur didn't arouse Alfred's suspicions, he was sure they could continue their friendship as normal. Kiku's behaviour didn't change at all and Arthur fought to get his own feelings under control. He willed away blushes when Alfred touched him and forced himself to breathe when Alfred said something particularly sweet or seductive. Several times, Arthur became scared that Alfred had figured it out when the latter became overly serious. Thankfully, he was usually interrupted before he could say anything.

Two weeks passed and Halloween approached. Arthur looked forward to the usual shopping trip he, Alfred and Kiku went on. Sometimes they would buy costumes and sometimes they would buy materials to make their own. Once they had even gone as a group, dressing as Supernatural characters only the year before. Arthur had been rather amused to find himself in the role of Dean simply because he was the shorter between him and Alfred. Kiku made a good Castiel, too.

He caught up with Kiku on the Friday afternoon. "Kiku. Are you able to going shopping this afternoon? We just need to find Alfred..."

"Oh..." Kiku said, raising his eyes to the ceiling as he thought. "I am so sorry, Arthur. I have to go home – my cousins are coming to visit for the weekend. And, as for Alfred, I know that he has extra Football practice, I'm afraid."

"Drat," sighed Arthur. "Well... We'll arrange to do it sometime this weekend, then. I'll text you later to see about it."

With that, he waved his friend goodbye. Kiku returned the gesture though there was no accompanying smile. Arthur found it odd but supposed he merely felt guilty for scuppering Arthur's plans. Whatever the reason, Arthur soon forgot about it when he got out of the building. What on Earth was he supposed to do this afternoon? He had purposely set aside time for the shopping trip, falsely secure in the knowledge that Kiku and Alfred would accompany him no matter what.

_Well, why can't I go on my own?_ Arthur thought. He could do a reconnaissance trip, see what costumes were available and if there were any in their sizes. Or maybe see what fabric he could find in second-hand shops for a cheaper costume.

So off he went, hopping on the bus into town. A few of his fellow pupils were also on the bus; they waved at him or said hello. Arthur spotted Lukas with Matthias and sat in front of them so he could turn around and speak with them to pass the time. Apparently, they were going to meet Lukas's brother and do the same as Arthur. The editor tried not to feel disappointed in his own friends.

They parted ways at the bus stop and Arthur spent an enjoyable, if lonely, afternoon popping in and out of shops. Pumpkins were prominent as were fake and cheery skeletons. Bats and witches and ghosts fluttered in the breeze or leered at him from shop windows. He spotted a few young children trying on tiny costumes and he resisted vocalising how cute he found them.

In fact, he was wearing a small smile up until he spotted them across the road.

At first, he believed that he must have been mistaken. But the laugh that drifted across the sound of cars and people confirmed his suspicions. For there stood Alfred, laughing, as Kiku swiped a witch's hat from his head, blushing all the while.

Arthur froze, staring at them, rather confused. What had happened to the Football practice? What about Kiku's cousins? Then, as he watched Alfred strike a pose with a helmet under his arm, as he saw Kiku's delighted look, he realised what was going on.

It was a date.

A date that Kiku had cunningly wrangled by lying to Arthur.

Someone bumped into him and Arthur realised that he was furiously glaring at the couple, hands clenched into fists. Slowly, he unfurled them, his heart beating far too fast. His breathing had sped up as well and he had to take several deep breaths to calm himself. Kiku may have been a conniving bastard but he was still their friend: he couldn't go around hitting him.

At that moment, Kiku glanced across the street and saw him there. He froze and Arthur swore he saw the colour drain from his face. When he glanced at Alfred rather nervously, Arthur relaxed a little. Kiku hadn't ensnared him completely if he worried that Alfred would see Arthur – obviously he had lied about where Arthur was. Arthur waited till Kiku looked back at him before smirking. His assistant editor looked worried. And well he should.

This meant war.


	2. The Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This would have been done earlier but I got distracted by [Tumblr prompts](http://fire-bear.tumblr.com/post/138094693358/send-me-a-pairing-and-a-number-and-ill-write-you)...

It continued with a fight.

* * *

On Monday morning, the door to the newspaper room burst open. Everyone bar Arthur jumped and turned to stare, wide-eyed, at the furious Kiku standing in the doorway. He breathed heavily for a moment before he realised that he had an audience. Blushing, he stepped into the room and gently shut the door behind him.

"I apologise," he said. "I slept in."

"Not a problem," Arthur told him, gesturing at Kiku's usual seat. "We're nearly finished, anyway. I'm just giving out the assignments."

The other pupils looked worried; it wasn't often that Kiku portrayed any emotion besides his amusement. However, Arthur was quick to catch their attention once more and handed out the work for the next couple of weeks. Then, glancing at the time, Arthur dismissed them, giving them all enough time to get to their classes. Everyone left, chattering amongst themselves – all except Kiku and Arthur who had been expecting the confrontation.

"You lied to Alfred," Kiku said once they were alone, frowning deeply.

"No more than you already did on Friday," Arthur retorted, smugly.

Indeed, Arthur had decided to play Kiku at his own game. Only the evening before, he had convinced Alfred to go to the cinema with him. When asked about Kiku's availability, Arthur had told Alfred Kiku's lie – that his cousins were visiting and he couldn't come out with them. Alfred had accepted that readily and had cheerfully turned up on time. They shared popcorn, leaned into each other during the action film and had slowly walked home, chattering all the while. It had felt a lot more like a date than Arthur had been expecting and he had been immensely pleased with himself.

But he knew it was too early to drop his guard. Kiku was not finished yet.

That was clearly confirmed in his ire which seemed to pulse around him as he glared at Arthur. They stared at each other for quite some time. Finally, Kiku broke the silence. "I will not let you do this."

"And I won't let you do this either."

"Of course..." Kiku frowned at the floor before raising his eyes to Arthur's once again. "We cannot let Alfred know of our... disagreement. He will not be happy with us."

"Agreed."

"With that in mind, we had best get to English."

"Yes," Arthur agreed, gathering his things. "We can act as if nothing's wrong – we're both good at that, aren't we?" He gave Kiku a pointed look: they both remembered when Kiku first realised he was gay and how he had kept that a secret for months last year. And Arthur was no stranger to keeping things from his friends, refusing to tell them about the bullying he had endured a few years earlier till it had gotten really bad.

Kiku nodded. "Indeed we are," he murmured.

* * *

Halloween had been a competition between cute and sexy. Kiku ended up dressing as a cute anime boy, wearing shorts and a cute little hat pinned to his head. There was also an eye-patch but, with his annoyance with Kiku, Arthur hadn't paid attention to the explanation. Alfred was impressed, though.

Deciding to stick with what he knew worked, Arthur had gone as an old favourite: a pirate. This year, though, he took the opportunity to wear tighter black trousers and a looser, more open shirt. Despite how it annoyed him, he wore his hat at a rakish angle. Since he had made his own costume, making sure his long, flowing, red coat was to his exact specifications, Arthur had felt proud and confident and wore a satisfied smirk for most of Gilbert's party.

Then again, that might have been due to the reactions. Not Francis's because having to draw his useless sword to fend him off was irritating. However, Alfred had most certainly been agog at his costume, openly gaping and turning red. Kiku had barely suppressed a huff, though his gloomy mood was fairly obvious for the rest of the night.

The only time his confidence faltered was when he spotted Alfred's fireman costume. His muscles strained at his dirty, white shirt which was revealed when he unzipped the heavy jacket. It was certainly distracting and it took all Arthur's wits to prevent himself from doing or saying anything utterly stupid.

October became November and the two rivals found themselves facing a problem: Alfred began to question the reliability of their information regarding the other. Whenever Arthur told him that Kiku couldn't come due to his family or when Kiku pointed out that Arthur was incredibly busy, he would call the other and pester them till they agreed to come. Their pseudo-dates returned to the original status of friends hanging out. It was really frustrating but there was nothing they could do.

Arthur was beginning to find it difficult to keep up pretences. It was always awkward when he and Kiku had to speak and more so under the watchful eye of Alfred who worried whenever they acted out of sorts. In fact, Kiku was looking much more tired these days and Arthur felt like tearing his hair out most days. Several times he considered telling Alfred how he felt – every time, he stopped himself, scared of the reaction.

And, every so often, he would admit to himself that he was also scared to lose Kiku.

An idea occurred to Arthur when he spent an evening watching romance films with his mother. When the main character gave his love interest a gift, the woman had been ecstatic. He had even received a kiss on the cheek. That was when Arthur realised that a well thought out gift would enamour Alfred to him!

On the day he was finally able to give him the present, Kiku turned up with a small paper bag. Arthur scowled: it looked as though Kiku had had the same idea as him. As so often was the case, Alfred didn't notice their tension as he hungrily devoured his Big Macs. Ignoring the food before him, Arthur cleared his throat.

"Alfred," Kiku said, suddenly. "I have a present for you."

"What? Really?!" exclaimed Alfred, pausing in the act of taking another bite of his third burger. "What is it? Show me!" Hurriedly, he set down his burger and wiped his hands. Kiku smiled fondly at Alfred as he handed his over; he looked so confident that Arthur's heart sank. Perhaps Kiku would win this battle. "Oh, wow!" Alfred breathed as he pulled out something in a plastic case.

"What is it?" Arthur asked. He had to know.

"It's Star Wars: Battlefront!"

Arthur frowned. "What?"

Handing it over so Arthur could look at it, Alfred bounced in his seat, obviously ecstatic. "It's the new Star Wars game, obviously. It looks _awesome_! I can't wait to get home and play it!"

"Wait," said Arthur, quickly, just in case Alfred actually decided to rush home right that second. He handed the game back and reached under the table for his bag. "I've got something for you, too." A quick search yielded results and he pulled out the carefully wrapped present.

"Ooh!" cried Alfred as he took it. "Captain America wrapping paper! Man, Artie, you're the best!"

Blushing, Arthur resisted throwing a smug grin at a disappointed Kiku. "Yes, well... Just open it, would you?"

More carefully than Arthur had ever seen him open anything, Alfred pulled open the present. He almost dropped the three beautifully illustrated books when it was finally open. With a gasp, Alfred caught them and stared at them, wide-eyed. There was a short silence as Alfred merely stared at the three of them.

It made Arthur nervous and he rushed to defend his choice. "You-You said that you were finding Hamlet boring and that you weren't taking anything in so I thought... Well. I thought if it was in the form of a comic, you could read it like that and-"

"Artie," Alfred said, looking up at him with a fond smile. "It's perfect. Thanks. Though, y'know, ya didn't needta get..." He glanced back down at the books. "Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream as well."

"You didn't remember any of Romeo and Juliet last year. And my favourite's A Midsummer Night's Dream so I thought we could have something else to talk about..."

"Thanks, Artie. I'll read it as soon as I get home."

And, as Arthur blushed at the gratitude, it felt as though they were the only two there...

* * *

Later, after they had gone their separate ways and Arthur had finished his homework, he decided to call Alfred to make sure he'd done his history work. It was only reading a particular chapter of their books but sometimes Alfred only skimmed it and Arthur had to explain what was going on. There had been several occasions when they had been told off and Arthur had developed the habit of ringing Alfred to make sure he'd done all his homework instead of playing video games.

Besides, it was the perfect time to see if Alfred had started reading the Shakespeare books.

For a while, Arthur thought he was going to be leaving an irritated voice-mail as Alfred didn't answer. Eventually, there was a click, some shuffling and Alfred's voice: "Yo."

"Alfie. What took you so long?"

"Huh. Oh... Couldn't find it."

"Right..." Arthur rolled his eyes and let himself fall back on his bed. Above him, upon Alfred's insistence, was a pattern of glow-in-the-dark stars, arranged in the constellation of Taurus. He smiled at it before reminding himself to be stern. "Have you done your homework yet?"

There was a pause. "Homework...?"

"Yeah. The History homework. We have to read Chapter 12, remember?"

"Oh."

"I take it that you haven't done _any_ of your homework, then? What have you been doing all this time?"

"Er..." Alfred sounded sheepish and Arthur could picture him rubbing at the back of his neck. "I'm playing the game Kiku gave me."

Arthur felt his blood turn to ice. "Oh." He shook himself: now wasn't the time to feel down. Not when he could talk to Alfred without Kiku interrupting. "Well. You should save the game and do your homework right away."

"All right, all right. I'll do that."

Biting his lip, Arthur wondered if it was a good idea to ask about his books. He decided that he'd worry about it for the rest of the night if he didn't speak up. "Did you read any of Hamlet, yet?"

Silence descended. "Ah. Sorry, Artie. I got distracted. I promise I'll read them before my next English class. Honest."

"I see." Arthur didn't know what else to say to that, his mood plummeting. "I'm sure you'll have time at some point. Anyway, I need to go."

"Wai-!"

But Arthur hung up. Maybe Alfred had only been acting when he received the present. Thinking about it, he was obviously having a lot of fun with the game and, in comparison, his reaction to Arthur's paltry gift was almost an overreaction.

So Arthur placed his phone on his bedside table and rolled over to bury his head in his pillow – looking at those stars was a little too painful.

* * *

Thanksgiving was a horrible time for Arthur. Normally, Alfred would be driven across the country to a cousin's or be helping his parents host their family for their big dinner. Neither Arthur nor Kiku wanted to bother him while he was so busy and neither of their families really celebrated it. In the evening, after spending the day in his pyjamas and with his family, Arthur would get bored and pull on some clothes before heading to Kiku's. There, they played some video games or watched Studio Ghibli films.

Since they weren't talking, Arthur stayed in, telling his parents that Kiku was busy with visiting family. The familiar lie was becoming far too easy to tell.

So, when he got tired of his family, he headed to his room and curled under the covers, brooding. Their rivalry was beginning to affect the trio's friendship. Alfred was spending a little less time with them, obviously feeling frustrated and exhausted with their tension. But, while Arthur was concerned that Alfred would get fed up with them and leave, he was more concerned with the loss of Kiku's friendship. At this point in the day, he would be drinking various different teas while he sat under Kiku's kotatsu. The calm holiday from Alfred had always served to relax him.

Without thinking, he picked up his phone and called Kiku, feeling a need to hear his voice. As soon as Kiku answered (in less time than his last call to Alfred), Arthur said, "Hello. I'm sorry to call but..."

"But what, Arthur?" Kiku's voice sounded tired.

"Ah. Did I wake you up?"

"I was dozing. But do not change the subject. Why did you call?"

"This... thing with Alfred... It's seriously affecting all three of us. Maybe we should just stop. I mean, I'd really like to come over, like I usually do...?"

Kiku paused. "Are you conceding?"

"What? No! But we shouldn't be arguing over this, right? We should... We should let Alfred choose."

"And what if he wants neither of us?"

Arthur swallowed. "Look. I- I'm sure..." He took a deep breath, thinking it over. If Alfred wanted a girlfriend or someone else entirely, he would be fine. Choosing Kiku over Arthur, though... He wasn't sure if he could look at either of them again. Would it be the same for Kiku?

Perhaps phoning Kiku had been a mistake.

"Arthur-san?" Kiku prompted.

That sealed it: Kiku hadn't called him 'Arthur-san' for years. "Forget it. It was a mistake to call." And, with that, he hung up.

He stared at the phone for minutes afterwards, regretting every decision he had made for the past few months.


	3. The Defeat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait!
> 
> I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with this ending but... we'll see.

It ended with a defeat.

* * *

Christmas approached. After weeks of an awkward atmosphere between the three of them – Alfred was definitely noticing something was wrong and kept asking Arthur if he was all right – Arthur was almost relieved. Over the Christmas holiday for the last few years, Arthur and Kiku's families had been taking it in turns to return to their countries of origin. It wasn't deliberate but it would always work out that, for instance, Arthur would go to England one year and the next would see him remaining at home whilst Kiku was in Japan. Alfred would always hang out with whoever was left behind and, thankfully for Arthur, he was the one going to be present for Christmas.

This year, though, he found himself Christmas shopping alone. Usually, he would ask either Alfred or Kiku to help him find presents for everyone else. It was supposed to be Kiku but he decided not to bother asking as he didn't seem to want to interact with him beyond things to do with the newspaper or homework. Seeing as he was also buying things for his family on his shopping trip, he found the task a lot more daunting and disheartening than normal.

Thankfully, he found the perfect gift for Alfred: a lightsaber torch. It even had sound effects. He was sure Alfred would love it and was sure he'd instantly play with it when he saw it. So he bought lots more batteries so he would be able to replace the ones that would run out in a day.

Even though they weren't on speaking terms, Arthur decided that, since it was Christmas, it was about time they buried the hatchet. So he bought Kiku a set of Studio Ghibli themed chopsticks: they had been rather expensive but he had decided their friendship was worth it. He even wrapped it with paper decorated with cute cats.

A week before Christmas, he had finished the work he needed to do on the last newspaper of the term and had also completed most of his assignments. Since he had nothing better to do and he knew for sure that Kiku had gone straight home after school rather than wait through Alfred's practice, he picked up both presents and made his way out. Each present was in a Christmas themed gift bag; a reindeer for Kiku and Santa for Alfred. He thought they were perfect but he would have to wait to see Kiku's reaction. Perhaps, he thought to himself, he should ask Kiku to open his on the spot so he could see that Arthur still wanted to be friends.

When he reached the Jones's house, he rang the doorbell and waited, tugging on his scarf. Mrs. Jones answered, phone held to her ear. She said, "He's upstairs." and hurried off, already engrossed in her conversation. Arthur stepped inside, slipped off his shoes and coat and tugged off his scarf. Turning to hang them up, he found Kiku's coat and scarf already there and his heart stopped.

Arthur forced himself to walk upstairs, his steps slow, wondering what he would find when he reached Alfred's room. Would they be kissing? Would they look at him with disgust? Would Alfred throw him out? And surely Kiku would hate his present...

Reaching Alfred's door, he knocked and quickly entered, equal parts hoping and dreading to catch them in the act of whatever they were up to. Unsurprisingly (or, perhaps, _surprisingly_ ), Alfred and Kiku were playing a video game. Alfred lay on his stomach on the floor and didn't look around when Arthur entered. Kiku sat on his knees beside him. When the latter glanced up, he promptly paused the game, looking sheepish. Alfred turned around.

"Ah, Artie! What're ya doing here?!" he exclaimed, grinning up at him.

"I was just... What are _you_ doing?"

"Playing a game. Kiku suggested it when I texted him after practice."

"You texted...? Oh," Arthur said, his heart sinking and breaking at the same time. There had been no-one to tell Alfred not to text Arthur so he must have opted not to include Arthur. Which probably meant that Alfred wanted Kiku to be with him, not Arthur. It wasn't as if Arthur played the same games as Alfred or was any good at them. Kiku was, though, so it was obvious that Alfred would want to be with Kiku and not him. Never Arthur. That was clearly why he'd texted Kiku and didn't bother with Arthur.

"What're ya here for?" Alfred asked, even as he turned back to the game. He reached over to Kiku's controller and un-paused it, beginning to play without looking at Arthur.

"I... Well... I came to give you your Christmas present."

"Oh, cool, thanks! I'll get yours to ya later," Alfred told him, still ignoring Arthur.

Meanwhile, Kiku kept glancing at Arthur, looking worried, though he never looked away from the TV for more than a few seconds. "I will hand mine out before I go," he told them.

"Cool! You'll love mine, Keeks. Got it specially ordered and everything!"

Clutching at the bags in his hands, Arthur felt his heart break further. Alfred had specially ordered something for Kiku? He didn't think Alfred had ever done that for _him_. It was obvious who Alfred liked more. Taking a deep breath in an effort to stall his despair, Arthur placed Alfred's present next to the bookcase he used for his collection of comics.

"I had best go..." he said, shakily. When Kiku glanced in his direction, he raised the reindeer bag to catch his attention and placed it on the bed. He hoped the message was clear: _he's yours_. Kiku's eyes widened and, once again, he paused the game.

"Wha-? Huh?" said Alfred, turning to look at Arthur. "What'd you say?"

"I'm going," Arthur repeated. "I only came for this." He nudged the bag with Alfred's present and shrugged a shoulder.

"Aw, c'mon! Stay and play with us!" Alfred cried, shaking his controller for emphasis.

"I'm sorry," Arthur lied, "but I have things to do for the newspaper. A few last minute things before the end of term. I'll see you tomorrow." And, without looking back, he fled. He heard someone call out after him but he refused to stop. Once he had practically shoved his feet into his shoes and only partially wrapped his coat and scarf around him, he braved the cold and hurried out.

A few minutes later, he found himself in the local park. He sat on a swing and tried to quell the despair. The pressure on his chest and in his eyes only increased but he willed himself not to cry.

He failed.

* * *

At school the next day, Arthur avoided both Alfred and Kiku as much as possible. It wasn't that he didn't want to be friends with them any more but it was painful to see Alfred light up when he saw him or Kiku's split-second grimace. To see what he could have had and seeing Kiku's undisguised disgust tore at his heart. So he left each class exactly on time, running from both of them, and he arrived a second before the teacher so they were unable to speak to him when he sat beside them. He ignored the notes Alfred tried to slide across to him and even flicked a couple from the desk.

Relieved to have avoided them all day, Arthur left school, convinced he was quite literally home free. Unfortunately, as he exited the building, Arthur spotted Alfred hovering. Freezing, Arthur had to force himself to breathe as Alfred strode towards him. Arthur tried to leave but Alfred grabbed his arm and tugged him into the shadows of the stairs.

"What do you want?" Arthur snapped, annoyed that he had to face Alfred so soon.

"What do _I_ want?" Alfred demanded. "What's up with you? I've been trying to talk to you all day!"

"Why? Can't you just talk to Kiku?" Arthur knew what he was saying sounded bitter but he didn't care at this point, not even when Alfred briefly looked confused.

"What're ya talking about?" Alfred sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Didn't Kiku tell you? He _likes_ you, Alfie. I would have thought he told you last night."

Alfred blinked at him, appearing confused. Then he released a bark of laughter and shook his head. Arthur almost punched him but Alfred gave him a smile so fond that Arthur paused. "Yeah, he told me."

"Then-"

"But I told him I liked someone else."

Arthur stopped breathing. Kiku had suggested the possibility but he had pushed it to the back of his mind. Now that he knew Alfred _did_ like someone, he wasn't sure he could bear it, despite what he had said to Kiku. He lowered his gaze so Alfred couldn't see how upset he was.

"Aren't you gonna ask who I like?" Alfred asked him, sounding rather amused.

Irritated, Arthur glared up at Alfred. "Who?" he asked, bluntly.

"Well, you gotta guess!" Alfred declared, causing Arthur to sigh in exasperation. "I'll give ya clues."

"Oh, what fun," Arthur said, dryly.

"They've got green eyes."

Frowning, Arthur thought hard. "What, Lili?"

"Nope. They do have blond hair, though."

"That helps..." Arthur glared at Alfred. "Why don't you just put me out of my misery?"

"Your misery, huh? You're upset?"

Flustered, Arthur shook his head. "Look, forget it. I don't want to know. I've got to go-" He was cut off as Alfred grabbed his arm once again, stopping him from walking past the taller teen. "Wha-? Would you just-"

"It's you, silly," Alfred said, rolling his eyes again.

"What?!" exclaimed Arthur, eyes wide. Was this real? Was he dreaming? Or...? "Are you mocking me?!"

"Eh?!" Alfred cried, his own eyes widening. "What-? Of course not! I-" Alfred stopped, gaze distant as he stared at Arthur. The boy was getting worried: was Alfred all right? Was he ill and delirious? Then Alfred slowly began to smile and his gaze settled on Arthur who blinked back at him. "I'm not mocking you, Artie. I like ya. A lot. And, um... My true love grows to such excess that I can't... can't sum up half its wealth..."

Staring at him, Arthur was sure he'd stopped breathing again. Then he blinked and whispered, "Eh...?"

"God, sorry. Was that wrong? I mean, I read 'em and everything but I can't remember every single word. Ah, wait – is it 'grown' instead of 'grows'? I-"

"Do you really mean it?" Arthur asked, quietly, certain Alfred would babble on if he let him continue.

"Of course I mean it, Artie! You bought me a lightsaber torch – that was well awesome. And ya know me so well. And, um, yeah..." Alfred's cheeks turned red and he fidgeted, not looking at Arthur as if he had to hide himself from the editor.

He wasn't quite able to believe his luck so Arthur said, "What about Kiku? He knows you just as well as I do."

"But I don't _like_ him, Artie. Just you." Alfred gave Arthur a shy smile and reached out to him. He paused, a hand close to Arthur's cheek. "Do-Do you...?"

Nodding, Arthur stepped closer so that Alfred's fingers were brushing his cheek. He sharply inhaled before he let his breath out slowly. "Yes. I do. It's been a strange few months."

"God, you're so slow," Alfred teased him. "I knew from over the summer." He winked at a blushing and grumbling Arthur before he pressed closer. "Hey, can I...? I mean, I've been trying to get you out on a proper date for ages but you and Kiku were so wrapped up in _whatever_ that you never seemed to notice. And I've wanted to kiss ya. Can I?"

"Of course," Arthur breathed, lifting his chin to look into Alfred's eyes. Alfred smiled down at him and gently cupped Arthur's cheek. "Maybe next time you can make your requests for a date more obvious."

Alfred laughed even as he moved closer; Arthur's eyes flickered from his eyes to his lips. "Fine, fine. How about we go on a date right now?"

Just as Alfred's lips brushed his, Arthur pulled away slightly, eyes narrowed. "Well, if we're going on a date," Arthur said, teasingly, "then we should wait till later for _this_."

Again, Alfred laughed. "Oh, no, you don't!" he declared and, quicker than Arthur could react, he leaned down further and pressed their lips together in a sweet kiss.

* * *

Despite his new relationship and happiness, Arthur was still worried about Kiku. He caught up with him the next day, managing to pull him aside at lunch. "Are you okay?" he asked, as he presumed his friend knew about the change in status.

Kiku paused before shaking his head a little. "I'm still upset..." he murmured.

Nodding, Arthur sighed. "I understand. But I really..." He trailed off and shrugged.

"I just need a little time to... digest... this development. And I'm sorry for before."

"It's not your fault," Arthur reassured him.

They went their separate ways, Arthur's elation at having Alfred as a boyfriend tempered somewhat by the absence of his friend. Later, though, he was pleasantly surprised to open his locker and find a Christmas gift bag, a cartoon robin looking out at him. Grabbing the tag, Arthur read it and the happiness returned.

_Thank you for the present._

_Merry Christmas, Arthur. I shall see you after the holidays._

_Kiku_

* * *

And so it was that Arthur had a lovely Christmas with his new boyfriend, somewhat marred by the brief flashes of guilt about lonely Kiku that Alfred was always too good at distracting him from. They had no contact with their friend whatsoever and Arthur began to worry more the closer they got to the new school term. Finally, it was the first day of school and he and Alfred entered, hand in hand, both on the lookout for a familiar face.

Spotting Kiku walking ahead of them with someone else, Arthur called out to him. Kiku stopped, turned and waited for them to catch up which Arthur took to be a good sign. "Good morning, Kiku," he said when they reached him. "And a Happy New Year. Did you have a good holiday?"

Smiling benignly, Kiku inclined his head. "Same to you and Alfred," he said. "It is... nice to see you." Arthur who had been watching him closely, spotted the brief flash of pain and he grimaced. Before he could say anything, though, Kiku turned to his companion: a boy with brown hair down to his chin, two strands sticking upwards, and tired green eyes. "This is Herakles. He moved into the house next to mine over the holidays."

"Oh, cool!" cried Alfred, sticking out his hand. Slowly, Herakles took it. "I'm Alfred and this is my boyfriend, Arthur. Nice t'meetcha!"

"I'm sure you'll get on well here," Arthur added as he also shook Herakles's hand.

"I am just showing him around," Kiku explained, gazing at Arthur and Alfred expectantly.

"Ah, then we should get going. We'll see you at lunch?"

Nodding, Kiku said, "Definitely."

Once Kiku and Herakles had walked off, Arthur turned to Alfred, still worried about their friend. "Do you think he's okay? With us, I mean."

"I think everything's gonna be fine," Alfred assured him, dipping down to press a quick kiss to Arthur's lips.

The school editor blushed and pulled back. "None of that now," he scolded his boyfriend. "Nothing in public till Kiku feels comfortable with us." Alfred groaned but, after a quick peck to Arthur's cheek, he acquiesced. "Now, I have a newspaper to run so I'll see you later, love."

"But not too much later!" Alfred declared even as he hurried off.

Arthur rolled his eyes but waved until he was out of sight. Then he took a breath, focussed his thoughts on the day ahead and walked briskly along the corridor in the direction of his office. After all, high school wasn't over yet and there was still plenty of events to be reporting on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There wasn't meant to be the bit with revolving around Kiku at the end but I figured people might want to know what was going on with him. He's still not quite over Alfred at this point (and, in my mind, he knew he liked Alfred for longer than Arthur but c'est la vie).
> 
> Kiku got Arthur a River Song journal and a tiny motorised K-9. Arthur loved it. Alfred got him fancy editions of the Harry Potter series which is more for show than for reading and Arthur loved them, too.
> 
> Alfred's confession is kinda crappy but, eh.
> 
> By the way, Kiku and Herakles has a 'boy next door' thing going on. Kiku just won't realise it for over a year because Herakles's flirting is probably a little out there... Also, he hangs out with Arthur and Alfred less for a few months, goes abroad on holiday and then returns and starts being friendly with them again. (But the four of them probably go on double dates once Kiku's with Herakles. ;) )
> 
> Sorry Herakles didn't talk. I kinda forgot to have him saying anything - mainly cause Alfred and Arthur talk too quickly and Herakles ain't awake enough for introductions. It's too early for him. (Also, I just forgot to give him lines, somehow...)
> 
> Here's the original request, by the way: I just wanted someone to like write about Kiku and Arthur both having a crush on Alfred and stuff since he's best friends with both of them, but in the end he chooses arthur and stuff, I REALLY HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT'LL GO BUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT
> 
> So you can see why I couldn't have Al end up with Kiku or even AsaKiku as someone suggested at one point...


End file.
